Welcome to the Camtree Digital Library
The Camtree Digital Library publishes peer-reviewed research reports produced by educators from around the world. Library content is freely available to all readers.
Camtree supports educators to reflect on their practice and conduct research to improve learning in their own contexts and organisations, through its website at https://www.camtree.org. Camtree is based at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.
Recent Submissions
Item Exploring whether implementing strategies that promote the value of DT increases the uptake at GCSE(Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 2024-06-14)Iterative research was conducted to establish factors which have contributed to the dramatic decline in the number of pupils selecting GCSE Design and Technology- “a decrease of over 50% since 2011” (Joint Council for Qualifications 2018). The literature review and data collection indicated many factors that may have resulted in the decline of entries within GCSE DT, such as the lack of creativity and real-world problem-solving in Design and Technology projects and the implementation of the EBacc in 2011, which promotes some subjects as more valuable than others. The study intended to address if a ‘values-driven intervention’ would encourage more pupils to study GCSE Design and Technology. The values driven intervention increased willingness to take D&T at GCSE, with a 100% increase in the number of pupils wanting to study DT GCSE.Item Letting the cat out of the bag: developing and evaluating strategies to promote audiation in the Year 8 pop/rock composition classroom(Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 2024-05-01)Many students lack confidence in composition at GCSE, stemming partly from a lack of direction in how to compose at Key Stage 3. Building on Edwin Gordon’s (1989) research, which identifies audiation – the ability to think in sound – as a foundational component of musical creativity, I developed strategies to promote audiation skills in my students and implemented them as part of a pop/rock scheme of work with a Year 8 mixed-ability Music class. There is evidence to suggest that these strategies provided my students with a clear process to follow and that they harnessed audiation as a central tool in creating their final compositions, supporting motivic development and awareness of stylistic conventions. Findings indicate that developing students’ audiation skills holds great promise in improving outcomes and enjoyment of composition at Key Stage 3 and beyond.Item What can a study of gender enable pupils to see? A theory-seeking case study investigating what kinds of historical learning occur when Year 7 pupils use gender as an analytical lens for understanding the medieval period(Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 2024-05-01)This paper explores the possibilities and challenges of introducing gender history in the classroom. Whilst in recent years, history teachers have pushed for the inclusion of women’s history in the curriculum, very little has been written on gender history. Drawing on works by Olivey (2019,2022) and Benger (2020) on historical perspective, this paper considers how gender as an analytical lens for a historical period might be introduced in the classroom. It also considers what assumptions students have about gender roles in past societies, particularly surrounding the role of women. This case study centered around a four-lesson enquiry, focusing on the lives of two extraordinary women who challenged students’ initial assumptions about gender roles in the medieval period. This paper argues that students had deep misconceptions about medieval gender roles, and that for some, being introduced to these complex historical figures helped nuance their understanding of the medieval world.Item A case study exploring students' conceptions of proof within a Year 10 Mathematics classroom(Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 2024-05-01)The difficulty in the transition to studying mathematics at university has been documented and studied by a number of previous authors. In this paper, one aspect of this transition – the study of mathematical proof – is examined in more depth through a case study of a high attaining Year 10 class. The results of this case study, whilst necessarily tentative, indicate that students exhibit a pattern of misconceptions regarding proof which is corroborated by larger-scale studies both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, data collected from student interviews during this case study is used to suggest a novel explanation of some of these misconceptions. This explanation connects mathematical proof to broader topics, such as maths anxiety, which potentially merits further investigation.Item An action research project exploring ecology in Art & Design with Year 10(Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 2024-05-01)Drawing on contemporary ecological theory, this research project explores the extent to which a six-lesson intervention with a class of Year 10 Art & Design students in a maintained secondary school in Cambridge changed their perspectives on ecology and experimentation. The paper begins with a review of the relevant literature at the intersection of art, ecology and education, followed by an outline of the research methodology implemented. The findings are then presented and critically discussed, before conclusions are drawn, with implications for future practice and research. It is argued that working with unorthodox materials and processes in the art classroom can positively affect students’ perspectives of both ecology and experimentation.
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